Home inspector recommendations?

[Nevermore]

Hey guys, I just agreed to a sale price on a house in the Heights and now I am looking for a good home inspector. The house was built in the 1920's and renovated in the '80s. My main concerns are structural integrity, electrical, and termites of course. A friend recommended Fox Inspections to me but I just wanted to get some input from the forum before I committed to anyone.

[Scharpe St Guy]

Fox is good if not great. They are known within the construction business as "the deal killers". Of course any inspection is going to find items and in order to cover there liability they are going to notate everything and anything they see or think as an issue. This prevents you from coming back after them for compensation for missing something.

You are right though as long as the structure is sound, and the electrical has been updated and no active infestation of termites you should be good to go. A home built back then will be on block and beam so plumbing will be a non-issue since there is easy access underneath the home.

Good Luck,

Scharpe St Guy

Hey guys, I just agreed to a sale price on a house in the Heights and now I am looking for a good home inspector. The house was built in the 1920's and renovated in the '80s. My main concerns are structural integrity, electrical, and termites of course. A friend recommended Fox Inspections to me but I just wanted to get some input from the forum before I committed to anyone.

[groovehouse]

I have used Fox Inspections in the past (on my Heights home as a matter of fact) and I just want to say that, that man is not afraid to get dirty. He donned a pullover jumpsuit and got under the house and went to town. He found some unusual things under there and reported them. Of course, he didn't only check under the house, he got up in crawl spaces and basically did as he was supposed to, inspect everything! He is thorough and professional. I can't recommend him enough. Back when I got the house inspected he would type up everything in a Word document with digital images that proved invaluable. I had a hard copy and a digital copy which

made researching things so much easier.

I know there are a lot of other house inspectors out there, but of the 2 I have used in the past and the one I witnessed (as a seller) Fox was the most thorough and knowledgeable.

Good luck.

[Nevermore]

Thanks for the advice guys. Has anyone used or familiar with Edgar Guilbeau at Classic Inspections?

[Norhill Dennis]

Try Tony Zaiden of Final Home Inspections - 281-807-4858. He's done inspections for many of my clients and they've all loved him. Very thorough, takes 3 to 4 hours and sends you a picture CD with all of his findings in addition to a very detailed report.

Dennis Sigut

[silverartfox]

George Szontagh - (713) 528-1848 - housecheck.com.

Old houses are a special interest of his. He was recommended to me by several Eastwood home owners when I was looking for a house last year. His report was extremely detailed and I bought a fixer-upper with no doubts as to its assets and liabilities.

[Nevermore]

Ok so I have a general inspector scheduled for the structural & mechanical part of things but they dont do termite inspections on block & beam homes. Can anyone recommend a good pest inspector that will get under my house?

[cwrm4]

Pierce Pest Control on Cortlandt, 713-861-6990. Did my house of the same vintage as was very thorough.

I had George Szontagh as the primary inspector and thought he did an excellent job as well (interestingly he had inspected my house previously in a 1990 sale).

[sunsets]

We used Amrid - 713-880-3479

They were very thorough, and climbed all over the place. Fox inspectors works with them, so they came out with the home inspector at the same time.

I know our termite inspector lives in the Heights, and he was very helpful. In fact, he's coming back today to do some spot treatments on our new place.

[Mr. Smarts]

Fox is good if not great. They are known within the construction business as "the deal killers". Of course any inspection is going to find items and in order to cover there liability they are going to notate everything and anything they see or think as an issue. This prevents you from coming back after them for compensation for missing something.

You are right though as long as the structure is sound, and the electrical has been updated and no active infestation of termites you should be good to go. A home built back then will be on block and beam so plumbing will be a non-issue since there is easy access underneath the home.

Good Luck,

Scharpe St Guy

Is Fox inspections a 1 person company. Or do they contract their work out to other inspectors?

I'm looking to inspect a home I'm looking to purchase in Pearland. Its fairly new, 2001, would they seem like the best person for the job? How much do they charge?

I rather get some recommendations, then just flip through the yellow pages. A recommendation here is as good as anywhere. Thanks!

[Mr. Smarts]

thats weird, my posts aren't bumping up the thread.

Anyone?

edit: now it bumped it.

[Scharpe St Guy]

Fox is a company with quite a few inspectors. Cost depends upon size/location of the home. The more they have to inspect the more it's going to cost you. For an average size home say approx 2,000 sqft you should be looking around $350 then tack on the Termite inspection which is approx $50.

Good luck,

Scharpe St Guy

Is Fox inspections a 1 person company. Or do they contract their work out to other inspectors?

I'm looking to inspect a home I'm looking to purchase in Pearland. Its fairly new, 2001, would they seem like the best person for the job? How much do they charge?

I rather get some recommendations, then just flip through the yellow pages. A recommendation here is as good as anywhere. Thanks!

[Mr. Smarts]

Fox is a company with quite a few inspectors. Cost depends upon size/location of the home. The more they have to inspect the more it's going to cost you. For an average size home say approx 2,000 sqft you should be looking around $350 then tack on the Termite inspection which is approx $50.

Good luck,

Scharpe St Guy

Thank you. do you happen to know if this is them? http://www.foxinspectiongroup.com/

[sunsets]

I'm not Sharpe St guy, but that is the correct website for Fox.

For an inspection on a 1000 SF house + unattached garage w/apt. of the same size we paid close to $600 for the house and $200 for the termites.

Maybe we got taken???? Or they charge more to climb over/around/under the old Heights houses.

[Nevermore]

Yeah they charge me about the same. And my place sounds very similar to yours. I guess the added price is because of the older house.

[Mr. Smarts]

Yeah they charge me about the same. And my place sounds very similar to yours. I guess the added price is because of the older house.

wow. I guess my quote wasn't too bad. I was about to come on here and mention that my quote seemed high.

Its for a 2800 sq ft house built in 2001, in pearland. 2 story on slab foundation. They quoted me $445. This is with Fox Inspections.

[Mr. Smarts]

I'm not Sharpe St guy, but that is the correct website for Fox.

For an inspection on a 1000 SF house + unattached garage w/apt. of the same size we paid close to $600 for the house and $200 for the termites.

Maybe we got taken???? Or they charge more to climb over/around/under the old Heights houses.

a quick question for you. What advantage did you see in paying for a termite inspection instead of calling a termite place to come and check for termites for free? Obviously you get what you pay for, but i know most termite places do a good job in checking for termites.

Thanks for the input.

[groovehouse]

Is Fox inspections a 1 person company. Or do they contract their work out to other inspectors?

When I used them they were a one-person operation. Just the guy, Mr. Fox (I can't remember his first name) - if they have a "group" of inspectors, then that's new. But I will say this, the logo is the same, maybe by group he includes his termite inspectors, etc...

I can't vouch for the "new" Fox Inspection Group. I would hope it's the same guy with a new name.

Good luck.

[sunsets]

Guess I should have clarified that... Fox works in conjunction with Amrid (at least in the Heights). They'll call Amrid for you and set up a termite inspection at the same time. It's a convenience thing.

I don't think there's any reason that you couldn't independently set up another termite inspection. For us, it was worth it to get everything done at once (plus we weren't bothering the house sellers more than once).

Fox did do a spectacularly thorough inspection - I think it took at least 4 hours - and the inspector sat down with us right there and went over his report. They were worth the money, IMHO.

Also I should add that their charge came in right around what our realtor told us it would cost. She mentioned other companies that were cheaper, but she had a lot of faith in Fox.

[wheels]

I've been selling homes for almost 11 years and Gordon Fox inspected the first house I ever sold and I have refered him consistently ever since. He now has a group of inspectors that work for him, but they are all trained in Gordon's very thorough way. I would never refer to him as a "deal killer" as someone here did. A 'deal killer" is an inspector that does not have a firm grasp on what he is doing and can drive a Buyer into hysterics over issues that are not that big of a deal. Fox Inspections is very good at pointing out things you should be concerned with and things that will be on the report that aren't that big of a deal. They will also imbed pictures in the report, so you can reference back to what they are talking about. "Spalling" sounds scary until you see a picture of it and remember it's no big thing.

I also would not have anyone else do a Wood Destroying Insect Report, except Tony Thayer/Amrid Pest Control. He can set you up on an annual deal, too which is what the "free" companies are doing. It ain't "free", they are there to sell you a annual service. Go with Amrid and get a good thorough inspection. If he tells you that there is a problem, there is a problem.

[Nevermore]

^ Agree 100% with this post. I just had my inspections with Fox 2 weeks ago and they did a great job. Also Tony did my termite inspectin and he explained everything very well and was extremely nice. These services may cost you a little more up front but I think they are well worth it.

[jm1fd]

a quick question for you. What advantage did you see in paying for a termite inspection instead of calling a termite place to come and check for termites for free? Obviously you get what you pay for, but i know most termite places do a good job in checking for termites.

Thanks for the input.

The advantage for me was that the termite inspectors gave the house a clean bill of health, I discovered a large infestation a few months later, and the inspector paid for the treatment.

[Scharpe St Guy]

Wheels,

The term "Deal Killer" comes from conversations and overhearing bleep bleep bleep with Home Builders (Owners). They do a very good inspection from what I have heard. I myself have never used him yet although I will for the next house.

So I guess you could say that Mr. Fox is pointing out quite a few flaws in New Construction homes that in the public's mindset should be defect free for xx years. This is great for the buyer and a come to Jesus moment for the owners, superintendents, vendors, and subs.

Scharpe St Guy

[wheels]

Wheels,

The term "Deal Killer" comes from conversations and overhearing bleep bleep bleep with Home Builders (Owners). They do a very good inspection from what I have heard. I myself have never used him yet although I will for the next house.

So I guess you could say that Mr. Fox is pointing out quite a few flaws in New Construction homes that in the public's mindset should be defect free for xx years. This is great for the buyer and a come to Jesus moment for the owners, superintendents, vendors, and subs.

Scharpe St Guy

I understand your point. Tom Overstreet built some patio homes on Augusta back in the mid 90's. Gordon inspected two of them for two different clients. Overstreet said he should hire Fox to do his walk throughs because he was impressed, not only with his thoroughness, but also his knowledge. I was selling my Dad's home after he died and Fox did the inspection for the Buyer. I was very happy to have Gordon do the inspection because I knew that if he said there was something wrong, then something was wrong. The "deal killers" to me are the guys that show up and say, "The foundation is bad." BEFORE they set foot in the home. Then when you get the report, there are no foundation problems noted, but the Buyer is scared ****less. Or the guy who inspected my home when I was the Seller and he was up in the attic and turned off the switch that was plainly marked, "Furnace. Do Not Turn Off.". He then reported that the furnace was shot.

Long story short, as a Buyer or a Seller, what you want in an inspector is one who will speak plainly and tell you what is wrong AFTER a thourough inspection.

[felamy]

I had received a tip from an anonymous caller the other day telling me that my house that is under construction is framed improperly. I am not sure what made him think that as I have a reputable builder that knows what he's doing. I don't think its a home inspector calling trying to make a quick buck though. He was very discreet and didnt want to give out his name and told me to search the web for a home inspector. He said he obtained my phone number through the internet. I am assuming he looked on HCAD and did a search. Kind of creepy

I am a little worried so I had contacted Gordon Fox Inspectors and they said it would cost $850.00 just to inspect the framing. Is this too much or would I be able to find another inspector just as good?

[Scharpe St Guy]

Who is your Builder and which Subdivision?

Hard to believe that Fox would charge $850 if the framing is still open and visable to the naked eye. Perhaps you should call them again. More info please!!!!

Scharpe St Guy

I had received a tip from an anonymous caller the other day telling me that my house that is under construction is framed improperly. I am not sure what made him think that as I have a reputable builder that knows what he's doing. I don't think its a home inspector calling trying to make a quick buck though. He was very discreet and didnt want to give out his name and told me to search the web for a home inspector. He said he obtained my phone number through the internet. I am assuming he looked on HCAD and did a search. Kind of creepy

I am a little worried so I had contacted Gordon Fox Inspectors and they said it would cost $850.00 just to inspect the framing. Is this too much or would I be able to find another inspector just as good?

[4thGenHoustonian]

I am a little worried so I had contacted Gordon Fox Inspectors and they said it would cost $850.00 just to inspect the framing. Is this too much or would I be able to find another inspector just as good?

I contacted them and was told $645 for a framing inspection on my 3300 sq ft house. I thought that was high and used another inspector instead and paid $285. Shop around--there's lots of guys with many years of experience around.

[felamy]

Who is your Builder and which Subdivision?

Hard to believe that Fox would charge $850 if the framing is still open and visable to the naked eye. Perhaps you should call them again. More info please!!!!

Scharpe St Guy

Hi Scharpe,

The neighborhood is an estate community where you can choose your own builder so I was worried when someone out of the blue contacted me regarding my home but I am confident that if my builder knows of any problems he would fix them. He is part of NAHB and is GMB certified. I'm curious to find out why the anonymous tipper called and what made him think that the house would "collapse".

I had email correspondence with Gordon and he said he would call today but never did so I called him and spoke with a secretary who then gave me the quote.

I am really anxious to find a good framing inspector before the sheetrock stage is started. I would really like to hire Gordon as there are many praises about him.

Here is a picture of the framing stage if anyone is interested:

I contacted them and was told $645 for a framing inspection on my 3300 sq ft house. I thought that was high and used another inspector instead and paid $285. Shop around--there's lots of guys with many years of experience around.

Could you give me their contact information. What was your experience with them? Thank you.

[4thGenHoustonian]

Could you give me their contact information. What was your experience with them? Thank you.

Sure, I used Tommy Thompson, phone 713-882-7460. He was very thorough and we were quite pleased. He has done inspections for several members of my family.

Here's a list of appraisers you might find helpful:

http://www.harei.com/list.html

[hursttx]

Has anyone used VIP Home Inspections (www.best2inspect.com)? They do phased inspections for new construction, but the website leaves a bit to be desired. I should also ask if phased inspections are even worthwhile, or if a single inspection is OK for new homes?

Thanks!